Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Tennessee | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $122,430 | $142,991 | -14% |
| Median hourly wage | $58.86 | $68.75 | -14% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $133,221.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | $132,270 | $95,000 | $175,000 | 105 |
| Memphis | $116,398 | $83,600 | $154,000 | 85 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in Tennessee is $122,430, or about $58.86 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. Tennessee is -14% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in Tennessee typically earn from $95,000 depending on the city and employer.
With 19,030 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $122,430, Tennessee offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 49 of the 730 occupations reported in Tennessee — higher than 93% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Computer Network Architects at $123,860, Database Administrators at $115,500, Information Security Analysts at $115,430 — all figures are median annual wages for Tennessee.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 92.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 49 of the 730 occupations reported in Tennessee — higher than 93% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Tennessee | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Network Architects | $123,860 | $4,330 |
| Database Administrators | $115,500 | $2,020 |
| Information Security Analysts | $115,430 | $3,330 |
| Database Architects | $115,170 | $650 |
| Actuaries | $108,930 | $300 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $108,830 | — |
Tennessee has no state income tax on wages, so take-home pay is closer to the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 92.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 730 occupations in Tennessee.